Big Blue View
PFF doesn’t like the Giants’ secondary, but think upgrading it was their best decision
The New York Giants rebuild has been a long time coming.
We’ll start to get our first real looks at the fruits of the front offices’ labor next week when the full team reports to training camp. But nobody can dispute that the Giants were active this year in upgrading as much of their roster as possible.
The work really got started in free agency, when the Giants made waves by signing two of the top young veterans on the market in CB Paulson Adebo and S Jevon Holland. The two are instant starters for New York and should also help to address the depth concerns that have plagued the secondary since Dave Gettleman’s tenure.
Pro Football Focus, in fact, cites the additions of Adebo and Holland as the Giants’ best decisions of the offseason.
Lost in the shuffle of the Giants’ quarterback controversy and drafting of third-overall pick Abdul Carter is the fact that they significantly improved their secondary in free agency. New York’s coverage unit was left wounded after Xavier McKinney’s departure last offseason. They’ve remedied that by signing ex-Dolphin Jevon Holland, who is tied for fifth in the NFL in PFF coverage grade since 2021.
The Giants also acquired veteran cornerback Paulson Adebo, who earned an 80.5 PFF coverage grade in 2023. With these additions, as well as their outstanding defensive line, the Giants’ defense carries a ton of potential into 2025.
It’s somewhat interesting to me that PFF lauds Joe Schoen’s work in building the secondary, while also placing the unit in the bottom third (24th overall) in the NFL.
That said, I do agree that improving the secondary was a smart and important move for the Giants. Big Blue already had one of the fiercest pass rushes in the NFL. Their defense was 13th in pass rush win rate, ninth in total sacks, and fifth in sack rate — all while opponents threw at the third-lowest rate in the NFL.
That’s good, but what’s really impressive is that they were doing it without Dexter Lawrence, Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Azeez Ojulari for significant chunks of the season, while Brian Burns was also playing through multiple injuries.
Abdul Carter should not only be an upgrade over Ojulari, but the front as a whole should be healthier.
Upgrading the secondary should give the front more time to disrupt offenses. It could, or should, give Shane Bowen more options for deploying his players and creating coverage shells. Likewise, Adebo and Holland should help take pressure off Deonte Banks and Tyler Nubin, as well as generate turnovers, stopping offenses cold.
So yes, upgrading the secondary is an important move, but not their biggest move. That is, in all likelihood, transforming the quarterback position.
I’m not sure what “quarterback controversy” PFF is talking about. Russell Wilson is the starter, Jameis Winston is the primary backup while Jaxson Dart develops.
If we...
